The Toure's Absence

Yaya—the powerful, box-to-box midfielder—has been a linchpin in the City team this year.

A string of impressive performances early in the season firmly cemented his place in the first 11, and his loss to the African Nations Cup is a great one.

Arguably one of the best midfielders in the country, any side would miss a player of his quality, and Mancini will be hoping other players, such as the out-of-favour Nigel de Jong, can step up to the plate.

His brother, Kolo, has come back into the side after returning from a lengthy ban and his absence will also be sorely missed.

Vincent Kompany's Red Card

Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesVincent Kompany (far right) starts the long walk back to the changing rooms

A silly challenge in the Manchester derby means Mancini will be without his most influential defender for the next four domestic matches.

A two-footed challenge that divided the opinion of pundits and punters alike will have a substantial impact on City's team.

Stefan Savic has taken the place vacated by Kompany at centre back, but the young Montenegrin has looked jumpy since arriving, and his performance against Wigan on Monday night (16th) was less than reassuring.

Mancini's Red Card Gesture

Waving an invisible red card at the referee is a gesture that is all too evident in certain European countries.

It is seen as an attempt to directly influence the official's decision, and is widely condemned within not just English but British football.

During City's match away to Wigan, Mancini committed this heinous crime, refusing to apologise afterward and claiming that his actions were no worse than Wayne Rooney's in the Manchester derby earlier in the month.

The incident, as well as showing the Italian's frustration at referee Martin Atkinson's decision, showed that the pressure could be getting to Mancini.

The Carlos Tevez Transfer Saga

Michael Regan/Getty ImagesCity fans give us their opinion on the Tevez saga

Since his fall from grace, after refusing to come off the bench in a Champions League game against Bayern Munich earlier in the season, Tevez has been linked with a host of top European clubs.

After being told he would ''never play again'' for Manchester City, AC Milan seemed to be the front runners for his signature, but a deal has apparently fallen through.

With Milan's rivals Inter having launched a bid of around £20m, and French club PSG now being linked with the Argentinian, City need to offload the troublemaker in this window and put this fiasco behind them.